William Wordsworth wrote The World is Too Much with Us many years ago. I often think of his words when I look at the daily happenings. Here are a few lines from that poem:
“The world is too much with us, late and soon.
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
For this, for everything, we are out of time.”
Those words still ring true today. After listening to the news, we all need to find a place to go after being rocked and swayed by events. Whitney Houston sang “I Go to the Rock,” from The Preacher’s Wife Soundtrack. She sang:
“I go to the rock for my salvation.
I run to the mountain and the mountain stands by me.”
Well, I go to the lake. It calms me. I can breathe. I remember Thich Nhat Hanh’s words, “Breathe, You are Alive!”
- I can breathe out and release some of the unsettling things.
- I can let go of what I have seen and heard.
- I can breathe out the outmoded thoughts and ideas.
- I can just breathe and sit in the silence.
And then, I can inhale.
- I can inhale new ideas.
- I can inhale new beginnings.
- I can inhale and chart new plans of action.
- I find a new source of energy as I regroup, refocus, renew, revamp, refresh and reflect.
I return to the daily routines feeling rewarded. It is imperative for me!
Where do you go when it has all simply become too much?
Lynn M. July 26, 2016